Barcelona are reportedly ready to offer Antoine Griezmann in a player exchange deal to try and snare away Paulo Dybala from Juventus in the summer.
According to a report from Italian publication Calciomercato, Barcelona are considering offering French superstar Antoine Griezmann to Juventus in a player-swap deal that would see Paulo Dybala land at Camp Nou.
Dybala’s situation at Juventus has led to a lot of speculations over the past couple of weeks. The 27-year-old, who has been with the Bianconeri since the summer of 2015, has struggled to make an impact under new manager Andrea Pirlo this term, managing a paltry return of three goals and two assists from 16 games.
Add to it, the Argentine international has been struck down with an injury since January. With his contract set to expire in a little over a year, negotiations have been frozen owing to the player’s current plight. This has resulted in rumours that Juventus may well cash in on Dybala this summer, piquing the interest of Chelsea and Tottenham.
And it seems like Barcelona, too, have been alerted by the development, with reports last week claiming that the Catalans had made an enquiry for the 27-year-old. Building on that, it is now being reported that Barcelona are willing to trade Antoine Griezmann to Juventus in order to bring Dybala to the club.
Griezmann has been with Barcelona since 2019, having made a high-profile switch from La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid. However, the Frenchman has endured a couple of difficult years at Camp Nou, struggling to nail down a spot in the side be it under former managers Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setien or current boss Ronald Koeman.
The ongoing campaign has seen the 29-year-old score just seven goals in 25 La Liga matches, which is not good enough for a player of his standards. With the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner not making the desired impact at the club, Barcelona could be looking at a parting of ways this summer.
To that end, there is now the possibility of striking a swap deal with Juventus for Dybala in exchange for Griezmann. Nevertheless, the Serie A champions have plenty of concerns before considering the possibility of such a deal as the Frenchman will soon be turning 30 and commands wages in excess of €18 million per year.
Throw in his blow-hot-blow-cold form, it is understandable that the Bianconeri are weighing over the pros and cons over such a deal. For Barcelona themselves, any move for Dybala could only take place if the club are to lose captain and talisman Lionel Messi once his deal expires at the end of the ongoing season.
As things stand, there are a lot of moving parts for this proposed deal to go through. But, Barcelona and Juventus did work on a similar sort of arrangement last summer involving Arthur Melo and Miralem Pjanic. It now remains to be seen if the two are able to agree on a swap deal for Dybala and Griezmann.